Ken Berwitz
Baltimore State\’s Attorney marilyn mosby is upset. Very upset.
The reason, is that details of Freddie Gray\’s autopsy have been leaked.
And this is terribly unfair, because mosby wants us to know as little about what actually happened as possible, for as long as possible…along with the ability to have her side of the story out there for mainstream media and the public to lap up, while the other side is prevented from saying a word or being privy to any information which would lead to different conclusions.
So, is there anything in the leaked autopsy results that might impact our understanding of what happened?
How about the fact that, according to Justin Fenton\’s article in the Baltimore Sun, “Gray tested positive for opiates and cannabinoid (marijuana) when he was admitted to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, according to the autopsy”.
Now why would a serial drug dealer be that loaded with drugs?
Was he himself a user? Did he swallow a bunch of the drugs he was trying to sell, so that the police, who were chasing him at the time, would not find them and charge him with possession?
Who cares? Regardless of why, the fact is that he had two different kinds of drugs coursing through his system when he was arrested.
Think that might have had something to do with his behavior in the van?
Then there is the other issue – one which I wrote about on May 11th, and have heard nothing about since: whether the van which picked Freddie Gray up had seat belts.
If the van had seat belts, an obvious case can be made for police negligence, in that procedure requires prisoners be belted into their seats. But if the van did not have belts, the police could not have done so regardless of procedure.
That makes the issue of whether or not there were seat belts critical to this case, doesn\’t it?
In my May 11th blog, I pointed out that, according to Allison Knezevich\’s article in today\’s Baltimore Sun, “a survey by The Baltimore Sun found that prisoner transport vans used by county law enforcement agencies generally are not equipped with seat belts.”
I finished by saying:
The key question, obviously, is whether the specific van that carried Freddie Gray had seat belts.
It seems to me that question must be answered. Immediately.
Waiting……….and it better not be a long wait.
Well, it has been a long wait. A month and a half. And for what? To look inside a police van and see if it has seat belts??????????
Where is The Baltimore Sun on this? Where are the rest of mainstream media? Why have they not been howling at the top of their lungs for this information?
Are they afraid that if it turns out there were no seat belts, much if not most of marilyn mosby\’s case falls apart – which might cause them to report news stories suggesting she is an incompetent with a chip on her shoulder and an axe to grind — and then be called “racist” by the race hustlers who have been all over Freddie Gray\’s death from day one?
Here\’s the news, folks. Things are as they are. If that van had no seat belts, every charge related to negligence due to lack of procedure almost certainly goes right out the window.
It has now been 44 days since I wrote the blog referenced above. Is it asking too much of mainstream media to expect that this information be obtained?
It\’s called “journalism” – which, for a great many in mainstream media, apparently would be quite a change of pace.
